Kevin's 3rd Blog - In the Year 2000...

The office has a new life this month as we are re-energized from our Holiday vacations and have a game schedule to finally share with everyone. People are walking with an extra hop in their steps, maybe because of the freezing temperatures and snow outside, but I like to think it is because they are on a mission. "Yes a mission from God, we are getting the band back together." The sales band that is, everyone is excited to be making phone calls to new clients and reconnecting with friends and old clients. Things are in full swing for us around here; people are in and out of the office regularly, phone’s ringing dude ("Big Lebowski" quote), there is a new life in the New Year for the Mallards sales band.

The office moral has also been higher lately as “Coach” is back in the office for a couple of hours a day and he brings endless hours of entertainment, arguments/discussions, and crazy ideas. Right now we are really struggling as the Badgers basketball team is on a five game losing streak and I don’t know if it is going to end anytime soon (Coach is a HUGE, HUGE Badger fan in case you didn’t know). However, it is his creative and off- the-wall ideas which usually get everyone talking. You might think he is just a former baseball player, coach and focused only on sports, but he is always thinking of companies we could work with and creative ways which we can work with them. His thoughts often get the wheels turning in everyone's heads and we hit the ground running.

Take a look, it’s in a book, its Maynard’s Lil’ Ducks Reading Rainbow! Yep, that’s right kids, Maynard G. Mallard has started his first ever reading program for area kids. Hoping to encourage area kids to increase their reading skills and time spent reading, the Mallards have teamed up with area schools to allow kids to earn free Mallards tickets with completion of the program. We all know how important reading is to the future leaders of our communities and hopefully the Mallards can help to improve those leaders.

On a completely random note, yesterday in the office we somehow got started talking about Conan O’Brien and his “In the Year 2000” skits which he has on his show. If you have not seen Conan or are not a fan of his comedy then you will probably not like the following but I wanted to try and add some humor to my blog. (The skit is comprised of totally random and weird predictions which are going to happen in the year 2000, the big the millennium scare, yet they continue to do them way after the year 2000.)

In the Year 2000. . . . Mallards Manager CJ Thieleke will have a tirade and throw all of the bats, gloves and back-up catcher’s equipment onto the field to protest a called ball by the umpire to load the bases for the River Bats in a 1 run game…he is immediately ejected leaving the mess for Coach Kus to clean up. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . A certain man, let’s call him N. Staehler…no that is too obvious, Nick S. will propose to his special lady friend underneath the “Duck Pond’s” stadium lights right before the human cannonball performs. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . The Mallards will win the Northwoods League Championship after playing with an all pitcher infield due to an abundance of players returning to school, and winning by 14 straight bunts. . .

In the Year 2000. . . . The original “Dude” from the hit film “The Big Lebowski” will attend a Mallards game opening a whole new relaxed atmosphere around the ballpark and attitude by players and Coach Thieleke . . .

Last Tidbits: Mallards front office teams continue to spiral out of control, as curling has now lost 8 straight matches, and basketball is on a 3 week skid. I guess sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well… the bar eats you. . .

Nick Part III - It's a "Super" week!

For this installment of my blog I had a really hard time trying to think what I was going to write about. I was thinking about work stuff, and the Super Bowl, and the Mallards basketball team, so I think between the three topics I should get to the minimum 500 word requirement.

In the wonderful world of Mallards I have been busy making cold calls, sending emails and trying to gather new sales leads to get the ’09 schedule into people’s hands. Going into this season the Sales team knew it would be difficult to get people to think about group/client outings with how the economy is, but so far most people have been receptive and haven’t really used the economy as a crutch. I mean where else can you be entertained for a whole evening for only $7!

Also during this off-season I have been busy ordering Mallards gear for the souvenir shops. Every spring Vern and I head up to Sports Impressions in the Dells and put our order in for all of our t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. We will be heading there in the next couple weeks to get all that jazz going. One of my favorite items I have ordered so far was a premium felt pennant, which you can roll up and it does not wrinkle or bend. Another one of my favorites is a Mallards wall clock. And for all of those who missed out on the Mallards foam cowboy hats last summer I will have a new shipment in for this summer!

And on to the Super Bowl. Mallards Manager (CJ Thieleke) put it best as he walked in to the office Monday morning and stated it is a “Super Week”. I am pretty sure I have my pick set in stone for the big game and here are my reasons why.

I like Pittsburgh’s tough defense (Troy Polamalu’s wins the “Best Hair Award”….sorry Kevin) and their experience having been there three years ago. They have played pretty solid all year long and as much as I don’t like Roethlisberger you have to give it to him, he is one tough SOB and can take a hit and bounce right back up. And don’t forget about “Fast” Willie Parker. When healthy he can be one of the most versatile backs in the league.

As for the Cardinals, they have never been to a Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how they come out and play in the first couple minutes of the game. They are a young team and might have the deer in headlights look. Can “Old Man” Warner lead the Cardinals to the promised land as he did with the Rams or will he be back bagging groceries after the season is over? The thing that worries me the most is that the Cardinals have been streaky to say the least. Some games their offense would just flip a switch and take over a game and on the other hand the offense isn’t there and the “D” gives up 48, such as in the Thanksgiving Day game against the Eagles. You also have to wonder if Anquan Boldin will quit being a baby and just play already? I mean you are in the Super Bowl! I bet there are dozens of other receivers that wouldn’t mind playing a limited role and being in the big game.

Well here is my official pick: Steelers 38 Cardinals 17

Besides the game I love the commercials. I think some years it’s more fun than watching the actual game. I have searched through the archives and picked out some of my favorite commercials from the past Super Bowls. Search YouTube for the following clips:

Electronic Data Systems "Cat Herder"

E-Trade "Freaky Clown"

Bud Light "Rock, Paper, Scissors"

Career Builder "Monkeys"

Budweiser "Clydesdales Football"

I hope you enjoyed some of my favorite clips!

As for the Mallards basketball team we are 1-3 on the season. The losses have been by a combined 10 points. Last night we lost another close game by 5 points.

Until next time……Go Steelers!!!

P.S. If you ever see Kevin Caloia around ask him about his addiction to the word search in the WSJ…..He loves them so much he spends most of his “personal” time doing them!!

Schmeltzer's 3rd installment: Nobody has more fun than people!

The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur due to the fact that the sales season is now in full swing and life and times at the "Duck Pond” are picking up once again. The hardest part of the winter season is waiting for the NWL schedule to be released. Although, it is a great pleasure to start making calls and talking to current and potential clients about that wonderful thing we call Mallards baseball!

I had a hard time coming up with a topic for this blog, but I decided that one of the hardest decisions we make during any day, throughout the whole year, is “what we’re doing for lunch”. The North Side doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of choices, so it usually makes for a majority vote on where we eat for lunch.

There is a handful of us who bring our own lunch, but when that doesn’t happen we normally choose from places like; New Orleans Take-Out, Subway, Pierce’s Market, Culver’s, Smokey Jon’s, Jim’s Meat Market & the Mexican convenient store on Northport Drive. Obviously, there are more options but I would say these are the most popular destinations.

The Mexican convenient store is located near Culvers and is a spot we discovered this past summer, thankfully. They have the best authentic tacos at a reasonable price. When we go there the office smells for days of steak, pork and chicken but it’s worth it. If you are ever on the North Side around lunch time you have to give this place a shot!

Subway is another great story. First of all, they are a wonderful sponsor and they also have the ever popular $5 foot-long sub. I think Jerrad ate there for a month straight back in September. Anyway, there is a guy who works over there; we call him, “Bob the Builder” and he has become an icon to everyone here in the office. He has a voice that you would be able to differentiate and a certain swagger to the way he conducts his art of sandwich-making. If you are on the North side and want a cheap lunch with a good story, swing in and say hi to Bob. Tell him Kevin from the Mallards sent you.

Next is Jim’s Meat Market. They have a tremendous amount of deli products and you can’t go wrong with anything you purchase for lunch there. Their staff members are always friendly and they have some great suggestions. Personally, I like the subs but I know a lot of people in the office like their fried options. No matter what you get, it’s AWESOME!

Finally, while we are on the topic of food our office made a trip out to Rookies Food & Spirits in Mazomanie last week to sample some food options for next year. One of the things most of us really enjoyed was the buffalo blue cheese & cheddar sticks. This will be one of the new features on our appetizer buffet menu in the suites this summer. (pictured is the Glazer Bacon Cheeseburger we served last summer...minus the fried egg)

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you enjoyed it. If you are ever on the North Side for lunch and need a bite to eat make sure to think about some of the options mentioned above. But remember once June 1^st gets here the best place to grab a bite to eat is the never-ending menu here at the Duck Pond!

On this very historic day...J-Rod Part III

I'm very humbled and honored to have been given the opportunity to post my third blog entry on the day that the United States of America's first black President, Barack Obama, is sworn into office. What a time of jubilation for those who have waited for change --from our grandparents to our parents; from our brothers and sisters to our friends; and from our children to our grandchildren, this is truly a day to be excited about in looking forward to correcting the problems in the present rather than pointing fingers for problems in the past. And who knows...given some time maybe President Obama will make a stop at the "Duck Pond" in the next four to eight years...

Shifting gears I want to pass along a story that GM Vern Stenman shared with us front office members this week involving former Mallard outfielder Jordan Comadena. (In my three years of working for the team my mom only remembers two players...Comadena & former Stanford standout Randy Molina...so maybe the secret to a closer connection between our players and fans is simply by drafting players with catchier names...lol.)

Anyway, without further ado here's the story we're about to break to the media (so this truly is the "inside scoop" for you die-hard Mallards fans!):

Kids, here’s a perfect example of why you should play hard because you never know who might be watching.

Enter Madison Mallards alumnus Jordan Comadena.

Comadena, who played for the Mallards from 2005 to 2007 & went undrafted out of Purdue University, was recently signed by the Houston Astros as a free agent heading into the ’09 season thanks largely in part to impressing a certain notable former major leaguer at last season’s third annual Mallards/MLB Alumni Game that saw Comadena blast two run-scoring doubles to pace Maynard’s All-Star

That major leaguer was none other than former Houston Astros outfielder Jimmy “The Toy Cannon” Wynn who enjoyed a big league career from 1963 to 1977 and opposed Comadena in the usually laid back event—that is, until Jordan accepted the Mallards invitation and took the “Duck Pond” field once again. Maybe Wynn saw a bit of himself in Comadena, as he too was signed as a free agent in 1962.

Comadena owns Mallards team career batting records in runs scored (119) and walks (89), and single-season records in runs scored (54), walks (54), and at-bats (259). He also remains the only player to play all 68 games when he reached that mark in 2006.

What a story. This tale could certainly be made into a children's book and serve as great fodder for generations of Mallards fans to read to their aspiring kids...and on and on it goes. It certainly can also apply to life outside of a ballpark. No matter what you're doing; no matter where you're going; and no matter when you're doing it, if you do things the right way (open to interpretation) and work hard, someone will notice and something special is bound to happen. Call that belief outlandish; call it aspiring; or simply call it anywhere in between; if there's one thing that springs eternal in the Mallards office each day --off-season & in-season--it's the hope that we as a staff provide the best summer entertainment for each and every one of our fans, both young and old. When you, the fans, leave the "Duck Pond" after games, we hope you're smiling; we hope you're laughing; and best of all, we hope that you're taking home memories to share with others for many years to come.

Here's to 132 days until Mallards Opening Day on June 1!

Mike's 3rd Post - Green Bay memories...

So over the last few months my blog entries have been about the great years I have spent in the Northwoods League and some of the more memorable moments I have experienced. In this final installment, I would like to talk about my time with the Green Bay Bullfrogs and the 2007-2008 seasons.

In the spring of 2007, things were moving a thousand miles a minute as we tried to prepare a ballpark, a staff, and a city for Northwoods League baseball. It was crazy. I was sleeping maybe 5 hours a night. Eating once a day. I would routinely wake up in the middle of the night and write two or three pages worth of notes on things to do the next day or over the weekend. One night, after a usual long and stressful day, I woke up after I realized that I was talking to the lamp on my nightstand trying to sell it season tickets! (As good of a salesman as I thought I was, I could not get the lamp to buy anything from me.)

Thankfully through all of the craziness we had put together a great staff to help accomplish all of the things that needed to be done in trying to make people aware of the Bullfrogs, where and when we played etc, and to also refurbish a ballpark that hadn’t seen renovations in the better part of 30 years! The field needed work, and all of the buildings needed to be gutted, painted, remodeled, etc. The bleachers needed extra work, the press box needed power and internet, and the outsides of all the buildings needed paint. We were basically working off a list that as soon as one project was crossed off, three more appeared.

About a month prior to the start of the season, we had interviewed a young man by the name of Kevin. (To be honest, I think the interview was the last time he was referred to as Kevin, but more on that later). He was a young, impressionable kid, who was willing to do whatever we asked of him to help get things done. We ran on a shoe-string budget at times, so some of the things we did may not have been the safest, however we always came away unscathed with a great story to tell.

Kevin, as it turns out, was once on a basketball team in the 3^rd grade with another kid named Kevin. Somehow, it was decided that he would be called “Lenny” way back then and it stuck with him his whole life. Friends, family, etc people just called him Lenny. Now, he didn’t tell us that, but we found out and from that point on Lenny was the only name we knew to call him.

One Saturday morning, the first item on my list for Lenny and I was to pick up a portable arrow sign from a local business and bring it to the park so we could try and fix it up, make it look presentable and put it on the corner to get our message out to fans. As we got to the business to pick it up, it was made very apparent that it hadn’t been used or moved in quite some time. The legs were rusted together. The trailer lights didn’t work. The tires had air, but looked pretty sketchy. The box of letters didn’t have a bottom on it but rather was placed ever so gently next to the sign. So there we were, trying to figure out how to get this sign across town to the ballpark without injuring ourselves or anyone else on the road.

Lenny and I looked at one another, laughed about the fact the ball-hitch on my truck was smaller then what was on the sign and decided that maybe, just maybe if we strapped it down tight with tow straps we could get to the park. We hooked up the sign and began to drive out of the parking lot, only to see the sign bouncing up and down on the hitch. I told Lenny, “keep your eye on the sign and let me know if it falls off…we’re on the move and not stopping ‘til we get there.” We made our way across town, both of us laughing hysterically as with every bump we hit, we were sure the sign would detach from my truck and slowly drift away. Amazingly, it never happened and somehow we made it and in one piece. As we pulled up and showed the rest of the staff the condition that the sign was in, they too couldn’t help but laugh at what we had just gone through to get this sign across town.

At the end of the season, we brought the sign in from the corner of the city park we had parked it in, but this time I had Lenny stand on the tongue of the sign to keep it from bouncing all over the place. It was quite the site to see as we drove down the road that time.

In another of our famous escapades, Lenny and I went to Menards to pick up PVC piping as we were trying to make a drainage line from behind home plate to the dugout and needed a way to move the water. As we finished loading up the top of my truck with the pipes, we realized, there was nothing to hold them together or on the truck for that matter. One thought hit both of us at the same time…DUCT TAPE and ZIP TIES! (I think our team single-handedly kept Duct Tape and Zip Ties in business that year.) At this point in time, I think the nerves about opening day being only a few days away were starting to get to me. Lenny and I were wrapping things to the best of our ability when I had to stop. A feeling of pure nausea came over me and I couldn’t do anything about it. There I was, middle of the afternoon, crouched over next to my tire in the Menards parking lot, getting sick for no reason at all. It soon passed, I cleaned myself up and again we were headed off across town, with nothing more than Duct Tape and Zip Ties holding 30-40 pipes on top of my car. Again, in another miracle, we made it to the ballpark and everyone was A-OK.

In the end, those were just a preview of some of the other crazy things Lenny and I found ourselves involved in that year and it was one I will always remember.

I can’t wait for the summer of 2009, a new crop of interns and another chance to make some great Northwoods League memories. Baseball is only 137 days away!

VernBlog #3 - The Dude Abides, Evolution Baby, & a Twins fan for life?

January: a great month to be a Mallard. From our schedule being released, the annual Dugout Club Baseball Banquet & the start of the college baseball season, to starting to really dig into our promo schedule, finalizing new additions to the park & the realization that Opening Day is only 139 days away. There are a lot of reasons to get excited this time of year.

I really like to focus on the promotional schedule this time of the year. Yesterday I had the entire front office over to my house for breakfast (I make the best popovers in town) & a brainstorming session that yielded some quality ideas that may, or may not, see the light of a Mallards game this summer. Some of the highlights include a different bobble head night for every Thursday game, maybe a laser light show on a Saturday night, Slap Shot Hockey Night (w/ a Hanson Brother!), Rock Paper Scissors Night & more. One of my favorites is a celebration of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s Birthday. We’re thinking about an evolution of Maynard Bobble Head doll (you know three figurines in a row & one is a duck, one is a baseball player/cave man & finally the resulting hybrid – the highly evolved Maynard G. Mallard all on one base), a Darwin Award reel of baseball bloopers, mistakes of evolution & maybe we’ll teach some evolution & some creationism at the park just to make sure we offend everyone equally. Or, maybe not…we’ll see.

Maybe the event I’m personally most excited about is a Big Lebowski Night. We’ve (by ‘we’ I mean Kevin Caloia, I can’t even tell you how jealous I am!) been in touch with Jeff Dowd who is the inspiration for the character “The Dude” in the Coen Brothers classic movie. Jeff tours the country giving talks about his life, is an author & producer who, based on Kevin’s description, is a fascinating character. We’re planning on bringing him out sometime in July for an appearance & possible screening of the movie. For those of you unfamiliar with the move, WATCH IT NOW, for the rest of you, here is a little something to help you get through the day:

The Dude: Yeah, well. The Dude abides.
The Stranger: The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh. I sure hope he makes the finals.

How great is it that the guy who inspired that is coming to the Duck Pond!? Check out his Youtube clip w/ Mallards favorite Bill Lee. Strange? Yes. Fun? I hope so! On top of all that we’re trying to get rights to do a Frank Lloyd Wright Bobble Head, planning on letting fans submit ideas for our Opening Night promotion (if your idea wins, you get a party for 8 on the Great Dane Duck Blind Opening Night! Stay tuned for more details), tracking down celebs all over the world for appearances & planning on doing a fishing pole giveaway sometime this summer as well. Long story short: we don’t plan to disappoint this summer when it comes to our promotional schedule!

Highlight of the week so far is that my daughter Chloe is officially a Twins fan…maybe. At almost 16 months old she has never been too fond of any kind of headgear. That all changed last Saturday afternoon when she started playing with an old Homer Hanky of mine (You know, the genius creation most well remembered as a part of the ’87 & ’91 Twins World Series’ Championships! Ask Team Owner & Cardinals fan Steve Schmitt how he feels about them some day!). I decided to put it on her head like a bandana & she refused to take it off! Like I’ve said before, like all of us she is just looking for solace to help get through the long baseball off-season & this seemed to comfort her. Well I thought it was a sign she was a Twins fan, but then later in the day she found my wife’s Yak Trax (attachments for your boots to help you walk on ice etc, pictured above) & she decided to put them on her head as well & refuse to take them off. So maybe it wasn’t the sign I was hoping for…or maybe she loves the Twins AND walking in icy conditions. Time will tell. 139 days & counting! The Dude Abides!

Boyer's 2nd Post - Now Boarding for Charleston

It’s 9:15 AM EST and I’m sitting at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. At the bar. Which doesn’t open til 10:30 or whenever they find a bartender. Geez!

I’m on the way to see my new granddaughter in Charleston, SC. She was born Aug 4^th and I haven’t seen her yet. Been looking forward to this trip for a long time. Will be there for three days of fresh seafood, hanging out with my son and his girlfriend, and spoiling the heck out of Emma.

Flew out of Milwaukee at 6 this morning (correct, the bars at Billy Mitchell Int'l weren’t open either). So we left Madison last night, drove to Milwaukee and checked into the Best Western by the airport. They have a great deal. Stay there, leave your car for free and get a free shuttle ride to and from the airport. All for $89. Free parking!

Also stopped and had a Super George burger and a cup of chicken-flavored noodle soup at George Webb’s. I can’t believe there are people who haven’t been to George Webb’s.

Eating breakfast now, Chicken Hash & Grits. This restaurant has the best fried chicken ever but aren't serving it until 10:30. I wish it was 10:30.

So a little about the new food stuff at the park this year. We are having our first tasting of new products next Monday at Rookies. A couple of the food brokers/distributors are bringing in some samples of what they think they need to sell us this year. Then on the 29^th we’re going to the Sysco Complex in Baraboo for them to present us with new ideas.

Which reminds me, all you Mallards fans in need of a more substantial baseball fix than you’re getting from SportsCenter need to stop out at Rookies and see all the new stuff Steve has put up since the end of the season. And spend some money please.

By the way, thank God the BoSox signed John Smoltz.

Liz's 2nd Blog - Exciting time of the year

Hello and welcome to the first blog entry of 2009! I hope the holiday season was good to everyone. My holidays were great and I will fill you in on a few more details later. I will also take some time to get you all caught up on what’s happening in the Mallards office. I hope you enjoy your first blog of the New Year!

For those of you who don’t know, I am from a pretty big family and the holiday season is usually one of the busiest for us. We have multiple Christmases with each of my parent’s sides, as well as a big family Christmas on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The most rewarding thing to see over Christmas wasn’t the lights or gifts or food, but rather seeing my 11 month old niece rip through her presents and walk around my parents house like it a was a new kingdom to discover and destroy. This is the first Christmas we had with her as she turns one in mid-January and we look forward to many more with her and our ever-growing family.

As far as the Mallards front office goes, all of us were off over the holidays, spending time with family and friends. We are back at it now and are getting really excited about the 2009 season. January is really one of the most exciting times because we get our schedule, contact season ticket holders, and put together promotional ideas to get the ball rolling for 2009. We have several exciting things planned for 2009 so stay tuned to the website to get all the up-to-date information!

One new thing for 2009 is the Great Dane Duck Blind Club! We are converting the reserved picnic tables that were added to the Duck Blind in 2008 and taking it one step further. We are adding private food and beverage stations for the Club area exclusively! In addition we will be having daily food specials in the club area as well! Picnic tables will be available for groups of 8 and are only $280 on Sunday through Wednesday games and $330 for Thursday through Saturday games. Tables are available for 8 people and available for purchase on an individual game basis.

For a final update, the Mallards front office basketball team playing in the MSCR League, and cleverly named the Mallards, are 1-0 after a 44-40 victory in the opening game last night. Stay tuned as the guys give you continued updates with more detailed stories!

P.S. The photo above is a shot of my niece getting into her uncle's gifts. She was having a hard time walking in her Christmas dress so we let her run in her onies and tights. This will make for a very embarrassing photo when she is 16!